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<title>Stay The Night by MaddieandChimney</title>
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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24898810">Stay The Night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddieandChimney/pseuds/MaddieandChimney'>MaddieandChimney</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Just Friends [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:20:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>941</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24898810</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddieandChimney/pseuds/MaddieandChimney</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Maddie and Chimney are just friends in Season 2, she doesn't want him driving home when he's so tired - so, he stays the night.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Just Friends [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1796779</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Stay The Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s easy to forget that they’re only friends when her head is in his lap and his fingers are running through her hair. But that’s exactly what they are, she reminds herself, just friends because she’s nowhere near ready to commit herself to him when she was still very much married to the man who abused her for so much of their relationship.</p><p>It doesn’t make it any easier, though, having felt an immediate connection with the man in a way she can never explain out loud to another person. How the kindness in his eyes from the moment he held out his hand and introduced himself, left her stammering over her own name. Her brother put it down to nerves, and she presumes both Chimney and Eddie did, too, despite the fact she hadn’t looked so nervous when Eddie had been introduced to her barely five minutes before.</p><p>It doesn’t make it easier when she’s got her eyes closed, and she feels safer than she has done in such a long time. In the rare moments she’d let her head fall to Doug’s lap, she’d be waiting for his next move. But with Chimney, she could feel her entire body relax almost immediately, as though everything within her just <em>knows</em> that he’s good, and he’s kind… he’d never hurt her.</p><p>When he yawns, it prompts her to sit up, her own yawn quickly following. “You should just stay the night…” Maddie does her best to sound as casual as she can, despite the fact her heart is thumping uncomfortably against her chest, almost afraid of the rejection. “I just—it makes me nervous the thought of you driving when you’re so tired.”</p><p>She knows if the man is honest with himself, driving at night makes him nervous in general, since his accident. But still, she’s relieved when he nods his head, “You’re probably right, can barely keep my eyes open. Are you sure that’s okay?”</p><p>They may have been watching movies together for around six weeks, going out for drinks, movie theatres, around each other’s apartments for take-out but they always left before it got too late. This seemed like whole new territory, but it doesn’t stop her from nodding her head, almost a little too eagerly.</p><p>“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I wasn’t okay with it.” The woman is quick to point out, before she stands up and takes his hand in her own, barely noticing the way he hesitates when she gently pulls on his arm and he stands up. There’s a confused expression on his face, which is easy enough for her to ignore as she leads him up the stairs, their hands still entwined.</p><p>Chimney opens his mouth to ask her, once again, if she’s sure but quickly closes it. She’s already confirmed, and he’s letting her take the lead. They’ve not even kissed, so he’s not stupid enough to believe they’re going to do anything other than sleep but it still feels intimate. It’s strange, he’s slept next to Hen more times than he could count but he wasn’t harbouring a not-so-secret or subtle crush on his best friend.</p><p>“You don’t have to sleep fully dressed,” Maddie points out, the moment she lets go of his hand and he nervously scratches the back of his neck, looking between her and the bed. He kind of hopes she’ll take complete control and tell him exactly where to lay because he’s suddenly more nervous than he’s been in his entire life. She’s already comfortable in her pyjamas, having gotten changed halfway through their movie but he’s still there, in his jeans and t-shirt.</p><p>“Oh… um.” She can tell by the reddening of his face that he’s over-thinking it, and it makes those butterflies in her stomach appear once more before she steps forward. She likes how confident she feels around him, how he lets her take control – it’s been years since she was allowed to take control of anything.</p><p>It’s definitely just a friend thing when she wraps her fingers around the bottom of his shirt, her breath hitching when she pulls it over her head. And it’s <em>friendly</em> for her face to heat up when her hands graze along his abs as his arms lift over his head and he lets her discard of the top. She tries very hard not to look, but she can admire how amazing her friend looks, right?</p><p>“Your jeans?” She points out, laughing a little despite how anxious she’s feeling right then, moving to lay in her bed, closing her eyes only to avoid staring at him when she hears him stumbling nervously. She only opens her eyes when she doesn’t feel him next to her a few seconds later, frowning before she reaches out a hand, realising he’s waiting for her permission.</p><p>She <em>tries</em> not to admire just how handsome he is, standing there in just his boxers and it takes her a moment to remember that she absolutely isn’t ready for anything beyond friendship. Even if everything in her body is telling her otherwise right then. She knows that one day, she’ll be ready enough to give him the kind of relationship he deserves, not wanting to ruin anything between them before it can even begin. “Come, cuddle me.”</p><p>The way she grins when he doesn’t hesitate to climb into the bed next to her, wrapping her securely in his arms, as she wraps an arm around his waist to rest her hand on his stomach, her head on his shoulder before she closes her eyes.</p><p>How safe she feels right then? It’s just… a friend thing.</p>
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